It's a new year and instead of giving up something or trying to better my health, I've decided to pick up some old habits and get back into reading and writing. The reading is going so-so. I've read a few books, with a couple more waiting for me at the library card - which I will be able to pick up as soon as I actually get my library card. I've also joined a book club, which I am told will meet soon.
Part two of my resolution is to start this whole journaling thing again. I guess I thought that my life in DC would not be as full of stories and encounters as my life in Belize, but in many ways it is. My original goal was to work this particular site around service, and I will often bring it up, but I think I am going to stick to my traditional free form and goal of keeping it short.
So, in this my new and foster city, a big thing happened one year and 3 days ago. But it was a big day for me too. On the same day that my now boss's, boss's, boss was sworn into his new job, I was sitting in the Seattle Federal Building filling in little bubbles on a test sheet. Distracted by the knowledge that I was missing out on watching an amazing piece of our Nation's History on TV, I had no idea what that test would mean. For it was the outcome of that one test that places me right here, right now, in the thick of it. And I must remind myself everyday at my good forture (and my ability to put words in the right order on a page), because life really is amazing.
This week I was sent out to the National Conservation Training Center, managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service, for a Workshop on Ocean Policy. Yes, Interior does work with Oceans, and now I know all about it. What I didn't realize before I went out there is that this meeting would be attended by some very important people who do some very important things, and I was quickly humbled by the level of expertise and political power. Nothing like having to do group activities with the person reasonable for managing all the offshore oil and gas activities in this country. In any case, during this workshop/retreat at this amazing facility out in West Virginia, I had a chance to meet people who had been working their whole lives on issues that I am only beginning to understand, from protecting the Dry Tortugas National Park off of Key West to developing offshore wind energy. From these interactions I gained a real understanding of what service in the Federal Government can be, a devotion to what you are passionate about, what you know is right for the public and the environment, despite the ebb and flow of political will. Very inspiring and I can only hope that I can have that same energy how ever many years from now.
Part two of my resolution is to start this whole journaling thing again. I guess I thought that my life in DC would not be as full of stories and encounters as my life in Belize, but in many ways it is. My original goal was to work this particular site around service, and I will often bring it up, but I think I am going to stick to my traditional free form and goal of keeping it short.
So, in this my new and foster city, a big thing happened one year and 3 days ago. But it was a big day for me too. On the same day that my now boss's, boss's, boss was sworn into his new job, I was sitting in the Seattle Federal Building filling in little bubbles on a test sheet. Distracted by the knowledge that I was missing out on watching an amazing piece of our Nation's History on TV, I had no idea what that test would mean. For it was the outcome of that one test that places me right here, right now, in the thick of it. And I must remind myself everyday at my good forture (and my ability to put words in the right order on a page), because life really is amazing.
This week I was sent out to the National Conservation Training Center, managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service, for a Workshop on Ocean Policy. Yes, Interior does work with Oceans, and now I know all about it. What I didn't realize before I went out there is that this meeting would be attended by some very important people who do some very important things, and I was quickly humbled by the level of expertise and political power. Nothing like having to do group activities with the person reasonable for managing all the offshore oil and gas activities in this country. In any case, during this workshop/retreat at this amazing facility out in West Virginia, I had a chance to meet people who had been working their whole lives on issues that I am only beginning to understand, from protecting the Dry Tortugas National Park off of Key West to developing offshore wind energy. From these interactions I gained a real understanding of what service in the Federal Government can be, a devotion to what you are passionate about, what you know is right for the public and the environment, despite the ebb and flow of political will. Very inspiring and I can only hope that I can have that same energy how ever many years from now.
